Gothic architecture emerged from Romanesque architecture in the year 1144 AD. A Benedictine abbot called Suger was building a new church outside of Paris. He decided that he wanted something new and impressive. Suger wanted to make the Abby church of St. Denis so tall that it would seem to reach the heavens, and so amazing that everyone would remember it. When people saw this new form of architecture, they were amazed. The Gothic style quickly spread. Towns and cities would not let their churches be outdone by churches elsewhere. They tried to build taller, longer, and more stunning churches than any other.

All buildings reflect the society, which produced them, and cannot be understood without some knowledge of that society. The

As gothic architecture spread from country to country, it changed a little. Each country had its own idea of what a cathedral should look like. The French centered on height, while the English centered on length. The only European country that did not really accept gothic architecture was Italy.

The Goltho’s house in Lincolnshire, rebuilt in the late thirteenth century and abandoned about a century later, compared with earlier houses on the same village site, all of much flimsier construction, was built to last. It was 30 by 14 feet, its to rooms one of which was heated by a hooded corner hearth- were divided by a central cross passage. The timber houses in a stone less region, rested on life prolonging pad stone. The substantial timber frames-two and sometimes three bays in length-were each of these villages the associated finds suggest life-styles of comfort and modest affluence.

Windows were very important. They were often stained glass with bible scenes. Each window could take months to complete, because some were as much as one hundred feet tall. Gothic cathedrals had hundreds of windows, but the interior was usually dim. The colored glass did not allow as much light in as clear glass would.

The ceiling of the rooms usually showed the exposed beams or trusses of the roof construction, frequently enriched with colorful painted ornament. On plaster ceiling gold star patterns on a blue or green ground were often painted. When flat-beamed ceilings were used, the ends of the beams were supported by projecting ornamental brackets, variously shaped or carved into figures.

To understand Gothic architecture it is essential to take some time to consider the ribbed vault, which soon came to dominate medieval construction for a variety of reasons. The ribbed vault was a critical to the development of Gothic architecture as was the steel girder in the nineteenth century or reinforce concrete in the twentieth century. The ribbed vault gave the builders a flexibility of design and construction that was simply not possible with the barrel or groin vault. It was easier to construct than the barrel or groin vault, and it was stronger and more flexible.

It would be almost impossible to name all of the famous gothic cathedrals, so I will only tell you a few. Probably the most famous is the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. Begun in 1163, and standing nearly 115 ft. tall, it has all of the characteristics of gothic cathedrals including a h

Some topics in this essay:
France England, Middle Ages, Norte-Dame Paris, St Denis, France Contrary, Paris Begun, gothic architecture, AD Benedictine, , Renaissance Gothic, ribbed vault, flying buttress, Suger Abby, gothic style, thirteenth century, gothic cathedrals, late thirteenth century, main vaults, barrel groin, characteristics gothic, aisles served, barrel groin vault,